


Puzzle Pieces

by domokunrainbowkinz



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety Attacks, Detective Victor, Fluff and Angst, Gun Violence, M/M, More tags to be added, Vigilante AU, i mean they're detectives there's gonna be some guns, i'll try my best with the angst lmao, journalism intern yuuri, superhero au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-30 15:05:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10879302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/domokunrainbowkinz/pseuds/domokunrainbowkinz
Summary: Ever since he was a child, Victor had always loved puzzles: the way they made his brain try and fit all the pieces together, and at the end, the immense satisfaction he got when he finally figured it out, seeing the full image in front of him. It was one of the reasons he wanted to be a detective. After all, the entire job was about solving cases, which are just another type of puzzle.Of all the cases Victor had ever encountered, Eros was the most intriguing of them all. Not a day goes by when Victor doesn’t wonder just who is behind the mask.(or, the AU where Victor is a detective and Yuuri is an intern for the paper. Yeah. Just an intern. Nothing more. Totally not a vigilante/hero.)HIATUS





	Puzzle Pieces

_Puzzle [puhz-uh l]: a toy, problem, or other contrivance designed to amuse by presenting difficulties to be solved by ingenuity or patient effort._

* * *

 

Victor could still clearly remember the first time he saw Eros.

It was his first time out on the field as a detective – he had just been promoted, and fairly quickly, he learned. His performance and help as an officer impressed the captain so much, he was quickly given the promotion not even a year and a half since he joined the precinct. They had been tracking a notorious thief who had been targeting the various jewelry stores around the city, who always seemed to get just slip out of the police’s grasp.

However, that night, it was different. That night, Eros stepped in.

“Do you think we’ll catch him tonight?” Victor asked as they sat a distance away from a high-end jeweler. They had predicted where the thief will go next, and hoped to catch him there before he could act.

“Hopefully. He’s been nothing but trouble for us these past few weeks,” Yakov, his captain, grumbled as he kept his eyes glued to the area near the store.

Suddenly, they saw a dark figure emerge from the left, carrying a black backpack. Unfortunately, the thief was very perceptive, and after catching sight of the police car, he broke into a sprint and slipped into a nearby alleyway.

“There he is! Finally, we’ve got you this time,” Yakov exclaimed as they got out of the car and chased after the thief. The headed into the alleyway, following the sounds of the footsteps the thief made as he ran.

“Now, since this is your first case, you do exactly as I say,” Yakov ordered gruffly as they turned the corner. Victor nodded, smirking a little. Yakov must have heard about his tendency to stray from orders and speak back to his superiors, but it wasn’t his fault. He just has a different approach to situations that other people may not agree to is all, and besides, they always ended up working better than expected.

As they turned another corner, Victor stopped running. Something…seemed off.

“Hey, keep moving rookie, we’re going to lose him,” Yakov snapped.

“Wait, Yakov…The footsteps sound different.”

Victor listened closely. That was when he realized the footsteps weren’t coming from ahead.

Suddenly, a figure jumped from above and crashed into Yakov, knocking him towards the ground. Instinctively, Victor grabbed his gun and pointed it towards the figure, who had Yakov in a chokehold.

“You’re a perceptive one, aren’t you?” the figure sneered, and in the darkness, Victor could barely make out the smirk on his face.

“Let him go,” Victor said firmly, aiming his gun towards the thief.

“Or what? You’ll shoot?” he taunted. As he said that, Yakov drew his elbow back sharply, jabbing it into the thief’s ribs. He staggered back, giving Yakov time to draw his fist back, aiming the punch at his face. The thief dodged, and the miss made Yakov lose his balance.

“Victor! Don’t just stand there, grab him!” Yakov yelled angrily as the thief landed a solid punch on the captain’s face, snapping Victor out of his daze. Shaking his head, he grabbed the thief’s arms, attempting to restrain him. The thief stomped on Victor’s foot, hard.

“Ow!” Victor yelled, momentarily losing his grip. This was enough for the thief to break out of his grasp and escape.

“Quick, he’s getting away again!” Yakov yelled, and they broke off into a sprint.

“Seriously, why would he attack us if he was just going to run away in the end?” Victor mused as they chased the retreating figure through the maze of alleyways.

“Probably thought he could one-up us. Lots of criminals do stupid things like that,” Yakov replied.

Suddenly, the footsteps stopped, followed only by a few banging noises and a resounding thud. As the pair turned the corner, they found the thief facedown, with a dark figure standing over him.

He was dressed in all black, mostly hidden by the darkness of the alley. Hearing the pair approaching, he turned towards them.

“Ugh…it’s you,” Yakov grumbled in disgust as soon as he saw the figure. Victor, however, had a very different reaction.

“You…you’re Eros…” he breathed quietly as he took in the sight in front of him. Of course, Victor had heard of Eros before: the notorious vigilante who takes down criminals at night, always disappearing before the police arrive on the scene. He had heard Yakov complain about Eros multiple times, calling him a “vigilante”, “psycho in a costume”, “an annoyance that we should take care of soon, he’s giving me a headache.”

Hearing his name, Eros smiled slightly, his dark eyes twinkling behind his mask. He turned and disappeared into the darkness of the alleyway, reappearing at the rooftop. The moonlight illuminated his figure, a dark outline against the brightness of the moon, a flap of fabric on his left hip blowing softly in the wind. He looked down at the pair for a moment, then disappeared into the night.

“Well, we have our thief at least,” Yakov muttered under his breath as he handcuffed the unconscious criminal. Victor was still fixated at where Eros was standing at the rooftop, the image of his eyes and smile branded into Victor’s mind.

“Hey, Yakov?” Victor asked.

“Hm?”

“We don’t know Eros’ identity, do we?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Yakov replied brusquely, then ordered Victor to help him carry the thief into the police car.

“We’ve tried to catch him a couple times, or at least talk to him, but he would always run away before we could talk,” Yakov explained as they drove back towards the police station. “Almost seems like he’s scared of us, or at least is hiding something.”

“Like what?” Victor prodded.

“Who knows? A lunatic in black pajamas who runs around at night could be hiding anything. Someone like him is chaos us,” Yakov remarked.

“He is doing us a service at the same time though. I mean, think of all the criminals he’s caught.”

“That’s our job, not some guy who thinks he’s too good for the police.”

“Sounds like you’re a little bitter, Yakov,” Victor teased. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a one of Yakov’s vein pop out prominently on his head.

“When you spend a few more years as a detective, you’ll know,” he responded. “Don’t pretend I don’t notice when you search up every single case related to Eros. I know you think it’s exciting, being around a ‘superhero’.”

Yakov said the last word mockingly, further cementing his distaste for the man. Victor didn’t respond, just wondering what Eros did to get on Yakov’s bad side so seriously.

However, Yakov was correct. Victor had heard the stories about Eros, how he would disappear without a trace, leaving nothing but unconscious criminals and vague descriptions by witnesses.

Ever since he was a child, Victor had always loved puzzles: the way they made his brain try and fit all the pieces together, and at the end, the immense satisfaction he got when he finally figured it out, seeing the full image in front of him. It was one of the reasons he wanted to be a detective. After all, the entire job was about solving cases, which are just another type of puzzle.

Of all the cases Victor had ever encountered, Eros was the most intriguing of them all. Not a day goes by when Victor doesn’t wonder just _who_ is behind the mask.

“Well I’m going to warn you right now: it gets old really quickly,” Yakov continued, stopping the car at the station. “I guarantee it: after a year, you won’t be searching up Eros-related cases anymore. He’ll be nothing but a headache to you then.”

//

“…Victor. Victor!”

“Huh? What?” Victor said as he snapped out of his daydream. He had been thinking about the two recent murders that occurred, how they may be connected to an incident earlier that month, and somehow tuned out the outside world as he mulled over those thoughts.

“Celestino’s here,” Chris, his partner, said as he pointed towards the entrance to the police station.

“Why is he here?” Victor asked. Chris raised an eyebrow.

“They’re here for an interview, Victor. Don’t tell me you forgot again?”

“Oh…right,” Victor laughed. Chris sighed.

“Sometimes, I can’t help but wonder how you can be such an airhead yet an amazing detective at the same time,” he teased as he turned back towards his work. Victor stood and walked towards Celestino, who greeted him with a smile.

“Victor! Good to see you,” he exclaimed cheerfully, taking Victor’s hand into a firm handshake.

“Good to see you too, Celestino,” Victor replied. He vaguely remembered Celestino calling him a few days ago, scheduling a time for an interview for the local paper. Although he is regarded as Anocuver’s best detective, he can be quite forgetful of things.

“Thanks for taking the time out to do this interview. Everyone’s practically been begging for one with you ever since you solved that kidnapping case a couple weeks ago.”

“Oh, that? It was a hard case, but eventually we cracked it. Couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help at the precinct,” Victor emphasized. He had always been a little uncomfortable with how the media seemed to attribute all the credit of solved cases to him, seemingly leaving out everyone else’s contributions at the precinct.

“Of course, of course, couldn’t forget the other wonderful people at this precinct,” Celestino laughed as they made their way over to Victor’s desk.

“Oh, also, I have a new intern who’s getting us some coffee right now. He’ll be sitting in on our interview, if that’s fine?”

“Yeah, of course,” Victor replied. As if on cue, he heard someone enter the precinct who sounded like he just ran a marathon.

“Ce…Celestino…Sorry….I’m a little late,” the person panted as he stumbled in, holding a tray of drinks. His face was slightly red, his dark hair plastered on to his face. Walking over, he put down the tray of drinks and adjusted his glasses before sitting down.

“No worries! Victor and I just sat down,” Celestino laughed. “Victor, this is my intern, Yuuri.”

“Nice to meet you,” Victor said, extending his hand.

“N-nice to meet you too,” Yuuri stuttered, shaking his hand softly. There was something endearing about the way he blushed slightly, how his eyes seemed to dart up to Victor’s face periodically, but never making eye contact.

“Now that we’re all here, we’ll begin the interview,” Celestino said, clearing his throat. He brought out a recording device, setting it on the table, then opened a laptop to type up his answers. Yuuri did the same, taking his own laptop out from his bag.

“I guess we’ll start with the most basic question: tell us about yourself, Victor,” Celestino asked.

Victor answered the question swiftly: he’s Victor Nikiforov, a detective in the 99th precinct in Anocuver, twenty-seven years old, born in St. Petersburg, Russia, before moving to Anocuver to attend college. The next several questions were relatively easy to answer; Victor was asked these questions quite frequently in other interviews he’s had.

“Now, for the next question,” Celestino began. Victor could see Yuuri observing intently, typing furiously into his laptop. Not once, during the interview, did Yuuri ever look Victor straight in the eye.

“I’m sure you’re aware of the vigilante, Eros, who’s been quite a presence in Anocuver. What are your general feelings towards him?” Celestino asked. Yuuri stopped typing, eyes flitting up towards Victor.

“Well…this is a little complicated,” Victor started. He’s very aware of the split feelings towards the vigilante in the city. There are those who believe he’s a beacon of justice, turning in criminals and keeping the city safe. On the other hand, there are those who believe he’s a violent thug who takes the law into his own hands, disregarding civilian’s safety, and possibly attracting more violence towards the city.

“How so?” Celestino asked, leaning forward slightly. Victor thought for a moment before answering.

“Personally, I think he’s a great asset to the city: he helps us capture criminals and bring them to justice, it saves us a lot of work and does make things a bit more efficient,” Victor answered carefully. He noticed Yuuri typing on his laptop with a small smile on his face.

“But…on the more realistic side, he is working outside the law,” Victor continued, “and it does cause a little chaos on our side. Personally, I think it’d be beneficial for all of us if he would just communicate with the police, and we could work together to keep the city safe.”

“Pardon my intrusion,” Yuuri said quietly, causing Victor to look at him with a small look of surprise, “but I feel like Eros seems like the type of person to work alone.”

“I know that,” Victor stated, “but working alone must take a toll on him. I mean, catching all those criminals by yourself? He must be exhausted at the end of the night. If I were him, I’d want some help.”

“That’s true…but if what he really wants to do is catch criminals, why not just join the police force instead of this vigilante business?” Yuuri asked.

“Hm…”

Victor’s furrowed his eyebrows, raising his index finger to his lips, a gesture he automatically does when he thinks. He has wondered this before, but never came up with a reason that satisfied him. Clearly, Eros could pass the physical tests required to qualify. Judging from how he’s always steps ahead of the police, his detective skills must be very good as well. From these two observations alone, Eros could actually make a fine detective.

“Personally,” Yuuri continued, “I think he doesn’t agree with how the police functions. He takes the law into his own hands and does things his own way. Also, I get the feeling he doesn’t want to work with the police.”

“How so?” Victor asked curiously. Yuuri looked to the side, wearing what almost looked like a melancholy expression on his face.

“He leaves the scene right when the police arrive and doesn’t make any effort to communicate with them. If he had even a small desire to work with the police, you’d think they’d stay and at least talk with you guys, right? Working with Eros…it’s probably a lost cause.”

“That…is very insightful. Have you spoken with Eros, by any chance?” Victor asked. Yuuri’s eyes shot up to meet Victor’s.

“What? Oh, no! It’s all just speculation…um…please, don’t mind me. This is just my own opinion, uh…sorry, it was a little rude of me,” he apologized, blushing all the way up to his ears. Victor laughed.

“Oh no, it’s fine! This is an interesting perspective though. I’ll keep that in mind when I get the chance to encounter Eros again,” Victor assured. Yuuri relaxed, a small smile softening his face. At that moment, Victor thought there was something familiar about the way his eyes lit up as he smiled; the way the lights danced in his soft brown eyes.

“You seem very interested in Eros, Victor,” Celestino observed.

“Well, he is a very interesting character. No one knows who he is, where he came from, why he does this. It really is the biggest mystery in the city,” Victor explained

“And do you hope to be the first to solve this mystery? After all, people say you are the best detective in Anocuver.”

“Hopefully,” Victor replied, laughing. “But I do believe that one day I’ll find out who he is.”

From the corner of his eye, he saw Yuuri flinch very slightly at the statement. He decided not to say anything or think too much about it, but he did tuck the observation away in the corner of his mind.

“Now that’s the confidence we all know and love,” Celestino commented, laughing. He asked some more questions about some of Victor’s previous cases, then thanked him for the interview.

“Make sure to look for it in the paper in a couple days,” Celestino said, shaking Victor’s hand.

“I’m looking forward to it. It was an interesting interview,” Victor said, his eyes flashing towards Yuuri. He didn’t ask any more questions for the remainder of the interview, quietly typing away on his laptop with the occasional glances towards Victor and Celestino.

“Yes, it was an…experience. I’m glad I came along,” Yuuri remarked, his grip tightening around the strap of his bag. He and Celestino stepped into the elevator and left.

Victor returned to his desk and went back to work. The remainder of the day passed without any special incidents: some rowdy pickpockets were taken in, Victor had to interrogate a few suspects (who confessed quickly, Victor had a way with his words and looks), and he managed to make some progress on the murder cases he was looking over.

Later that night, as Victor prepared to leave the department, a call came in from one of the officers on duty that night. Apparently, there were reports of a man matching the description of one of the murder suspects headed towards the abandoned shipyard near the outskirts of town. Victor and Chris, along with two other detectives, Mila and Georgi, immediately headed towards the area.

By the time they arrived at the shipyard, it was already dark. They stood in front of a large warehouse, the looming structure standing over the team menacingly, giving off a dangerous feeling. Chris whistled.

“Well this is one creepy warehouse,” he commented as he and Victor started to look for the suspect quietly. They noticed a pair of footprints leading to the inside of the warehouse, and planned to have Mila and Georgi wait outside the building while Victor and Chris confronted the suspect, who they guessed was inside.

“Fitting for a murder suspect,” Victor added, taking his gun out from its holster. The inside of the warehouse was lined with tall, empty shelves. An abandoned crane sat beside one of the shelves, its metal hook rusting from years of disuse.

Suddenly, they could hear what sounded like running. Victor raised his gun. He looked at Chris, who looked back at him and nodded. The two men headed towards the noise, their senses on high alert. The footsteps sounded closer and closer, until they suddenly stopped.

Why did they stop? Victor thought to himself as they neared the corner of one of the shelves. He stopped Chris, who was behind him. Peeking around the corner, he scanned the area for the suspect, looking to his left then right. To his dismay, there wasn’t anyone in the area.

“How does it look?” Chris asked quietly.

“There’s no one there,” Victor answered, retreating back. He started thinking of possible areas where the suspect could have escaped. There was a window above, the moonlight filtering through it the only source of light for the warehouse. However, it was too high up with no access, so Victor immediately ruled out that possibility. The suspect more likely is hiding behind one of the shelves around the corner.

“You think he’s hiding behind of the shelves, right?” Chris asked. Victor nodded, smiling. Chris always seemed to know what’s going through Victor’s head, making him the perfect partner on cases. Ever since their first case together, they knew they worked well and instantly became very good friends and partners.

“We better be careful then. He might pop out any moment,” Chris joked as they moved quietly into the open area, their guns raised and ready to fire any moment. Victor looked for any indication of movement, the flash of a knife, a glimpse of someone running. He listened hard for footsteps and shuffling. Beside him, Chris was looking around, a serious expression on his face.

There was a loud crash, then the sound of frantic footsteps following it coming from a few shelves ahead. Breaking into a run, Victor and Chris ran towards the noise, this time finally locating the suspect, who was sprinting towards the exit.

“Stop! Police!” Victor yelled as they chased after the suspect. When they almost caught up to him, he threw something round backwards. Before Victor could register what the object was, it hit the ground, releasing a cloud of smoke into his and Chris’ faces.

“Did he seriously just throw a smoke bomb?” Chris coughed, as they ran through the smoke towards the exit. Outside, the saw even more smoke, with Mila and Georgi coughing as well.

“He’s headed behind the warehouse!” Georgi pointed while Mila cursed loudly.

“Georgi, Mila, head down the other side of the warehouse. We’ll meet up front and surround him,” Victor ordered. The four detectives split up, Georgi and Mila running down the right side while Chris and Victor ran down the left. The darkness, along with the smoke from the bomb, made it hard to see. Victor could barely make out the retreating figure ahead of him.

Once they reached the back of the warehouse, they found Georgi and Mila surrounding the suspect, who looked behind him to find Victor and Chris with their guns raised.

“Don’t move, we’ve got you surrounded. Put your hands on your head,” Victor commanded firmly. The suspect looked around him, desperation and anger in his eyes as he realized he couldn’t possibly escape without getting shot by at least one of the detectives. Reluctantly, he surrendered.

As Mila handcuffed the suspect, Victor saw something move in the corner of his eye. Looking towards the movement, he caught a glimpse of a dark figure before he disappeared into the darkness.

 _Eros..._ Victor thought to himself as they made their way back to the car. This was one of those rare times they got to the criminal before the vigilante, where Victor would always see the figure standing far away, observing them, before retreating back into the night.

Ever since that night, nearly three years ago, Victor never got a chance to get close to Eros. He would always disappear before they even got to the scene, or was too far away for Victor to talk to him. He never admitted this to anyone, but Victor wanted to know who was behind the mask not just for the city’s safety, or the precinct, or even for personal satisfaction of solving the biggest mystery in the city. Rather, Victor felt he could connect with Eros as a person. As a friend. As someone he could understand.

Even though they never talked, Victor always got the feeling whoever was behind the mask was lonely, a feeling he understood all too well.

As Chris chattered away in the car, with the suspect in the back looking like he was about to jump out the window, Victor silently repeated the promise he always made to himself and Eros whenever they encountered each other.

 _One day_ , he thought, _one day, I’ll find out who you are._

**Author's Note:**

> finally decided to get cracking on the superhero au that got me into this fanfic writing business in the first place, but then a bunch of one-shots happened and exams and this got put on the backburner for a while but IT'S HERE NOW!!!! hopefully now that i've posted this i'll be more motivated to write the rest of it in a consistent manner lol. i'm really excited to write this though!!!!! (also don't worry, i'm not abandoning the crack uni au, i'm still writing it :P)  
> update schedule is *police sirens* (i'm taking a summer class and also re-taking the mcat exam, plus work and volunteering lol, but i'll try and update this as frequently as i can)  
> scream at me on my [tumblr](http://domokunrainbowkinz.tumblr.com/)


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